Our Afterlife Together
by The one and only Kanra-chan
Summary: "Welcome to our afterlife, Shizu-chan."
1. Paralyzed in Eternity

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Shizuo roars, eyes struggling to stay locked on his rapidly moving target. Izaya shouldn't be so hard to track in this mostly empty warehouse, but of course he somehow is. Shizuo catches a flash of movement to his left, gleaming eyes and stupid fur coat, and his body turns on instinct, throwing a fist out and crashing into a large support pillar. The building groans in protest, but he ignores it in favor of continuing the hunt.

"Too slow!" Izaya laughs, somewhere to his right now and heading further into the building. He follows, footsteps echoing like thunder in the mostly open space, save for some discarded boxes and support beams. Izaya cuts around sharply around another thick pillar, and in his haste to follow he slams into it on his way past. It cracks, concrete crumbling where his shoulder has left a decent crater.

His blood is thrumming, heart pounding every time he catches a glimpse of mocking red eyes. No matter how close he gets, every punch he throws catches old wood or concrete, and no matter how loud he roars, his opponent wears the same exhilarated grin. He clearly finds Shizuo's violence and loss of control charming, and Shizuo hates him more for it.

Izaya ducks under his arm, laughing when he ends up with his fist embedded in one of the walls. He rips it free, looking 'round for anything he could throw at the pest. Izaya practically reads his mind, getting up in his space with his hands behind his back and a smirk on his face.

"Too bad, huh? There's nothing here to throw! But I," He pauses here to bring forth a knife, and Shizuo has to duck his head back to avoid being slashed across the eyes. "I have these." He taunts, skipping back and away from Shizuo fast as ever.

"You little _fucker."_ He pants, pausing when he notices a pillar in the center of the room. It's thicker than the others, tall and almost intimidating. He doesn't think about it, he can't in his anger, his feet are moving with ideas of improving his range greatly. He reaches it quickly, hands gripping what they can, and he starts to pull.

There's a sharp intake of breath behind him, Izaya no doubt, though he can hardly hear over the buildings sudden shaking and groaning. It cracks in several places, most importantly near the top where it connects with the rest of the ceiling's structure, and makes an awful grind as the whole roof starts to shake and creak.

"Wait, _Shizu-chan!"_ Izaya yells, panic ringing out in his voice but it's clearly too late. A chunk of debris falls, clipping Shizuo's shoulder as if the building itself is seeking revenge. He lets go of the pillar, stepping back slowly, eyes wide and staring up as the pillar starts to tilt and the roof begins to crumble.

He's snapped out of it when Izaya loops an arm around his own, yanking him out of his thoughts and getting him to move. They rush towards the door as more and more of the building starts to collapse around them, and the informant lets go of his arm so they can both move easier.

Izaya is faster, closer to the door when he's struck by a thick clutter of metal and heavy wood crashing down from above. It strikes the back of his head with enough force to snap his neck and break his skull at the very least. Izaya hits the ground, going completely limp in the almost instantaneous grip of death.

Shizuo is paralyzed. Time slows around him as he stares at the body. Just like that his life is gone and stolen by Shizuo's mistake, red eyes dead and staring straight ahead with no light. His ears ring with the symphony of his errors literally crashing around him, body gone numb like Izaya's stolen his ability to move and taken it as a souvenir on his way to the afterlife. He wonders in that moment all the possibilities of his once enemy's resting place. Hell is his first thought, but he doesn't know. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's nothing and his soul is just gone and Izaya just no longer exists.

Air rushes behind him, and a small part of his brain supplies that the center beam must finally be falling. He stays where he is, the two seconds it takes for that beam to fall feeling like an eternity. He expects he'll wind up pretty badly injured, possibly unable to walk, and in his shock and unexplained grief he accepts this as a fitting punishment. He stays as still as possible, staring down at the limp body a ways ahead of him and knowing it's his fault.

He doesn't expect it to be enough to kill him.

The beam crashes, along with the rest of the building, and he floats in a haze of pain and the tiring struggle to breathe. Time passes slowly, as he lays in the rubble. He closes his eye for a moment to protect against the falling debris, and when he opens them again the sky is dark and the dust has settled. All he can see of Izaya now is a bloodied hand and a dusty fur sleeve, illuminated by semi distant city lights.

He floats again, pain fading the longer he lies there and the more blood that pools slowly from various wounds on his body. By the time a fireman, or someone of a similar crisis profession, is tugging him out, he's stopped breathing. He tries, thinks of his little brother and dies to draw a breath, but blood bubbles up instead and he can't.

The sight of debris and broken things blur where he lies, and he can't feel the firemen touching him anymore. Worried faces swarm, and the sounds of sirens and a woman mentioning he's not breathing fade away. His eyes are closed by someone; the woman, he thinks, and he lets go.

Warmth sweeps over his body, heating his skin in a pleasant wave. He's lying in the grass, knows this because he can feel the cool touch of their blades against his shoulders, arms, and legs. A breeze sweeps by, rusting his hair and bringing forth a pleasant sigh from parted lips. A deep breath proves the air is crisp and fresh, filling his lungs and head with a wonderfully pure sensation.

He opens his eyes to the sun, and finds staring at it brings no pain or otherwise unpleasant reaction. He marvels the clouds, pure white and fluffier than he remembers ever seeing. It's the picture of perfection and peace, and Shizuo thinks spending eternity here alone is all he could have asked for.

As he stares at the clouds and realizes he's dead, he can't seem to care. Kasuka and everyone else briefly enter his mind, but he can't find it in himself to be upset. He has the overwhelming feeling that everything will be okay, and nothing will bother him ever again.

He's finally gotten the peace he'd longed for all his life. Here, in this small paradise meant just for him, he's finally free. Free to just exist with no worries, distractions, or nuisances-

"Took you long enough." Izaya sighs, face popping into view as he leans over Shizuo. He yells, Izaya jerking out of the way as he quickly sits up.

 _"Flea?!"_ He exclaims, taking in the sight of a fairly grumpy Izaya. "What- no! Why are you here?!" He gasps, glancing around his sunny little hill. Save for a dead tree, there's nothing but grass and sunlight stretching around them.

"Welcome to our afterlife, Shizu-chan."


	2. Who The Fuck Thinks Earth Is Flat

Chapter Text

"What?!" Shizuo gasped, jerking back in shock. Izaya didn't smirk, and on closer inspection Shizuo realized he was witness to an emotion Izaya rarely ever showed. Red eyes were narrowed, mouth was tense on a deep frown, and his whole body was giving off a dangerous aura.

Izaya Orihara was angry. He gulped, retreating quickly so as to avoid any knives. Or worse, because who knew what was hidden in that coat? Although a quick look down prooves Izaya isn't wearing his coat, but rather a pure white long sleeved shirt and comfortable white pants to match. No shoes, but snow white socks complete the look. Save for the color, it's exactly the type of thing he'd wear.

Shizuo hasn't personally seen the informant angry before, but Shinra had and told him about it once. The tale had been a fairly terrifying one, and not something he'd hoped to ever experience.

Unfortunately, paradise didn't offer many hiding places.

"Do you know what you've done, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asks, tone dripping with anger and contempt.

"Err.."

"You **killed** me, brute." He scoots closer to Shizuo, usual smirk still absent from a pale face. "Thanks to your stupidity, I'm now stuck in this hole with you!" Shizuo's first reaction to this 100% accurate statement is a wave of defensive anger. Having a record for going from calm to flying-off-the-fucking-handle faster than you could say "Why is that vending machine getting closer…?" He doesn't even try to remain calm.

"You fuckin deserved it." He snaps, shoulders hunching like they can shield him from his guilty truth.

"For what?!" Izaya demands, emotion bursting forth in a way so desperate and betrayed that Shizuo can't help but pause. "I wasn't even doing anything! I PULLED YOU OUT OF THE WAY!" He yells, up in Shizuo's personal bubble now and visibly upset.

"I didn't mean to…" He mumbles, looking away hastily. Izaya's hand comes up to snatch his chin and force his gaze back, which briefly sparks his anger once more. That's stamped out by the look in Izaya's eyes, however. The fingers around his chin tighten to almost painful levels, which is surprising considering Izaya isn't one for brute force.

"Don't you even dare think this is over." He hisses, glaring with more intensity than the brilliantly bright sun above them. "You are going to fix this."

"How?" He demands, eyebrows drawing low. He jerks his face away, mimicking Izaya when he scowls at him. "I don't exactly know the cure for death, so why don't you just relax and enjoy paradise?" He huffs.

"You'll fix it over there." Izaya points in the direction opposite to the tree behind him, Shizuo isn't very good with directions but he's pretty sure that's North, and Shizuo follows his hand. He's not sure how he hasn't noticed it, but in the distance is a faintly glowing building. It looks the size of a small convenience store, and has a big glowing sign that reads **MANAGEMENT** above the doors.

"...no." Shizuo shakes his head, turning his gaze away from the building that looks shady at best and annoying at worst. He was wrong about this being paradise, he sees that now. There is no paradise where he has to go speak to people about getting a "refund" on his life. He's not spending eternity waiting in line in some shitty, probably too cold building with rude employees and no saving spots.

Nope. Nu-uh. He won't do it. He's going to relax in the grass, admire the sun without burning his retinas, and hum his favorite songs to himself.

"Yes!" Izaya snaps, standing up and pointing now, as if that will change Shizuo's mind. "Go tell them what you did and give me my life back!"

"No." He sighs, closing his eyes and relaxing. He hadn't cared before, but he's not in his bartender uniform. Not even a pure white version. No, he's in a black tank top, black shorts, and black sandals. He's fine with this. The comfortable clothes allow his skin to seep up the warmth of the sun and feel the cool tickle of swaying grass against his limbs.

"Shizu-chan. Get up!" Izaya tugs on his arm, trying in vain to pull Shizuo up. He can only move him upward before it's too much and he drops him. "Geeze, how much do you eat?" Izaya sighs, collapsing in the grass next to him.

"Don't body shame me." Shizuo grins, amused entirely too much at Izaya's frustration.

"Shizu-chan." He's poked, or rather, jabbed, in the side by Izaya. "Shizu-chan get up. You have to fix this. Where's your stupid sense of justice when I need it?"

"..."

"Shizu-chan!" Izaya yells in his ear, which does piss him off. But, his frustration is still amusing enough that Shizuo ignores this. "Shizu-chan get your stupid protozoan self up and explain what happened!"

"..." Shizuo remains silent, relaxed enough now that he thinks he might be able to go back to sleep. Izaya is quiet too for a few minutes, before Shizuo hears the rustle of him standing up.

"Fine. Do what you want." Izaya mumbles, defeated. Shizuo opens his eyes and sits up on his elbows, watching Izaya stride towards the thick tree behind him. He climbs it with ease, sitting on a fairly low branch with his back turned to Shizuo.

 _'Ignore him.'_ He thinks, trying to relax again. _'Let him pout, I can enjoy my peace that way.'_ Still, guilt nags at him until he drifts off into a restless sleep. His dreams are childhood memories, of summer time at his old house chasing cicadas with Kasuka and laughing with his family.

He dreams of looking up at the night sky, child's heart pounding from a friendly game of tag and a smile tugging his cheeks so hard that it aches in the most pleasant way. (He can't remember the last time he smiled like that, when he was alive.) After awhile, the stars start to blue together and his family calls his name, telling him "It's time to go now."

He awakens rather abruptly, sitting up and looking around desperately for his family. Of course they're nowhere to be seen, but it takes him a moment to remember why. Night has fallen in Hell/paradise, and the Moon and stars are just as brilliant here as they were in his dreams. Bigger, and closer too. The navy blue sky is littered with stars as bright as anything he's ever seen, and a moon that couldn't be described by the most brilliant poet. Still, looking at it's glowing presence, he's lonely.

Against his better judgment, he goes and looks for Izaya. He finds him on the ground now, lying against the tree. Izaya doesn't look at him, staring off into the distance still with a lonely expression. Following his gaze, Shizuo is taken aback by the sight.

It's planet Earth.

On their grassy green hill, they're overlooking Earth itself. He wonders if they're caught in orbit as the moon is, or if they're orbiting the Moon. As he stares out at a mess of brilliant blue sea, shock white clouds, and some touches of green, he has to wonder…

 _'Who the fuck thinks Earth is flat.'_

"Hey…" Izaya mumbles, chin resting sadly on his arm folded over one knee. His other hand is holding one of many Dandelions that Shizuo hadn't noticed populated the area behind the tree, though he hasn't' blown on it to scatter the seeds. "Do you think they even notice I'm gone?"

"Your family?" Shizuo asks the obvious, though Izaya shakes his head.

"No. Humanity." He answers, lowering his head to stare at the flower in his hands. Or is it a weed? "I wanted to become their God, you know. Live forever, love my humans and they love me in return… This all feels like a cruel joke."

"Isn't this good? You can watch."

"Watch a planet spin? No. I can't see them, or interact with them. I'm stuck on this sad little hill with you for company and nothing else. I'd rather be dead- oh, wait...hahaha," Izaya laughs. The breeze picking up and scattering his dandelion seeds. They disappear quickly, though when Shizuo glances down the plant is full again with seeds.

"...fine." Shizuo sighs, glancing at the building once more. "I'll speak to...management." He walks away before Izaya can say anything, though he unregretfully catches the beginning of a smile on the mischievous mans face.

And if it makes him sigh and smile a little himself, well...who will know?

 **I made a soundtrack for this fic, and I'll keep adding to it.**

 **playlist?list=PLu19NGJeb1Jcpxvd_hXHW1inkrcH1M-WT**


	3. Can't hit this, get it?

"I don't understand," Shizuo sighs, heading over to the **MANAGEMENT** building. "Why didn't you just do it yourself? Y'know, go ask for your life back instead of makin' me?" He stomps down the hill, Izaya trailing behind him with a much better temperament.

"Because it wasn't my fault I died, it was yours." Izaya states easily, though Shizuo felt that was debatable. "And anyway… I couldn't get the doors open." He huffs. Shizuo pauses before the building, looking it over for a second. The closer they got the colder the air seemed to grow, not an uncomfortable chill, but, not a refreshing one either.

"You...couldn't get the doors open?" He asks, grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"They were _very_ heavy, okay? But, that shouldn't be a problem for a brute like you, so get to it." He commands, completely ignoring Shizuo's glare. _'Asshole.'_

"Fine, but once we get your life back you'd better stay alive and away from here." He says, reaching for the handle. He's surprised when Izaya's hand grabs his own, suddenly, tugging it back sharply and drawing his eyes to Izaya's. He's angry, another mood swing apparently, and Shizuo is taken aback at how easily he flips.

"What do you mean, stay away from here?" Izaya snaps, glaring right back at him. "Do you intend to stay dead?" He asks, a laugh in his voice that suggests this is a silly thought.

"Yes." Shizuo tries to pull his hand back, but Izaya grips it tighter, face paling on an emotion he can't place. _'He's become more of an open book, ever since we got here,'_ Shizuo observes silently. _'Then again, suppose I've felt calmer...must be somethin' in the air.'_

"What...you want to _stay_ dead?" He hisses, tugging on Shizuo so that he turns and faces him. "Why in the world would you want that? Are you crazy? Have you gone insane? Can you even comprehend me, mad man-?"

"Yes, yes I can _comprehend_ you!" He snaps angrily, teeth grit and eyes narrowed in clear threat.

"Then explain yourself." Izaya gets right into his face, proving he's not the least bit intimidated. "Explain yourself right now!"

"No." He refuses, simply. He turns away from the ex informant, pulling his hand free with enough force that Izaya stumbles forward a few steps. He can feel Izaya's glare cutting into his back, sharp like one of his many knives. _'Nice, shakespeare. You could have just said he was "glaring daggers."'_ Ah, look at that. It seems self deprecation followed him to hell.

"Let's just get this over with." He mutters darkly, placing a hand around the left door's handle and tugging lightly.

It doesn't budge.

"What the…?" He tugs harder, but still the door doesn't move. The sun is beginning to rise, and with the added light he looks for any sign that the building is closed. There are none, and he can't look inside since the doors are metal.

"What's the hold up?" Izaya bites out, and Shizuo scowls at his tone. It's rare for him to be so aggressive, at least in such a blunt way, but he brushes it off. He supposes death would make anyone a little grumpy, after all. And _amazingly_ impatient, ironically enough.

"It won't open." He tugs harder, hard enough that a street sign would have warped beyond mend by now, but nothing happens.

"Don't tell me, you've grown weak?" Izaya mock gasps, coming up behind him. "Maybe you just aren't angry enough."

"What're you plannin'..." He starts, eyes going wide when he feels Izaya swiftly tug his pants down. Fine time to figure out The Afterlife Dress Code didn't include underwear.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" He roars over Izaya's obnoxious laughter, aiming a fist for his face. Izaya dodges, having the nerve to point while he half doubles over from glee.

"Look at it flopping around!" He gets out between gasping laughs, ducking under another fist and successfully staying just out of reach as he always did. "Just like you, it can't hit this!"

"...What?" Shizuo pauses, frowning in confusion.

"Think about it, Shizu-chan." Izaya sighs, walking back over to the building. Shizuo pulls up his shorts and follows, not sure he wants to consider the implications of joke. _'Asshole!'_

"Did you even try?" Izaya accuses him, eyes sliding over to his in the cool shade of the complex. He grips the door handle on the left, the same one Shizuo had tried, and makes a small show of feeling for the small dents and cracks Shizuo typically leaves in anything he touches.

"You know damn well I did!" He snaps, grabbing the right handle and pulling. It flies open easily, and in his shock he lets go before he can think otherwise. He watches the door close with a mix of anger and denial. Izaya lets his hand fall from the door, raising a slim eyebrow at him. Shizuo scowls, muttering curses under his breath. "The door was just stuck earlier, that's all." He mumbles.

"Mm-hmm~" Izaya smirks, and Shizuo goes to, yet again, pull the door with an angry scowl.

And, yet again, door doesn't budge.

"What the hell!?" He cries, punching the door itself in frustration. There are no dents to be seen, no crumble or crater the shining metal before them. At this point he's pretty sure someone is mocking them.

"Are you trying to make me angry, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asks, voice practically spitting venom like the snake he is.

"I'm telling you, it won't move!" Shizuo barks, putting a foot against the opposite door and tugging with a great deal of his strength. He's amazed his fingers don't break from the force.

"Oh, You're such an asshole." Izaya snaps, apparently mistaking Shizuo's for a prank. He moves, grabbing the right handle again, and both doors come flying open. Shizuo falls back, as Izaya steps swiftly inside, the door closing behind him. He gets up with more aggression in his movements than necessary, grabbing the door, and yup you guessed it, pulling.

He feels ready to lose his shit when it won't open.

"Izaya!" He snarls. "Open the door!"

"I'm not holding it back." Izaya protests from the other side. "Just come in already."

"...It won't fucking open. It apparently only responds to you, so push them open for me or I'm going back to the hill." He threatens, and though he's not there he can just see Izaya rolling his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Geeze, death has made you such a," He pauses, voice getting quieter suddenly. "...Shizu-chan?"

 _"What?"_ He huffs, resisting the urge to tap his foot like a cartoon character.

"It won't open." Izaya says. Shizuo frowns, eyeing the damn door with confusion. After a moment or two, during which he imagines Izaya was pushing harder, he hears him start to bang his fists against the door several times. "It won't open!" He yells, panic seeping into his voice.

"Calm down." He laughs. "Didn't know you were scared of the dark."

"I'm not!" Izaya snaps over the sound of him hitting the door harder, supposedly throwing his weight against it now. _'Overreact, much?'_

"Sounds like you are," He teases perhaps a bit cruelly.

"Don't you understand!?" Izaya growls, throwing himself against the door again. "If you're here with me then this isn't Heaven, it's Hell! We haven't been tortured yet, but what do you want to bet this mysterious Management building is a trap? Or some kind of demon company! Who knows what's in here? I don't, cause I can't see!" He hadn't thought about that, and he stamps down the annoying that that perhaps _'Izaya didn't need me to talk to someone, he needed me for protection/bait.'_

" _Shit_ ," he curses, and he'd be rolling up his sleeves if he had any. "Stand back, I'll try to break it down."

He waits a second for Izaya to shuffle back, taking a few steps back, then moving forward in a burst of speed. He slams into the door, not damaging it in the least. He tries again, and again, and again to no avail.

"Shizu-chan!" Izaya yells, and Shizuo growls impatiently with the rising feeling of panic. He's not so sure he wants to be alone here, after all.

"I'm trying!"

"No, just, stop that. We'll try something else. You pull, hard as you can, and I'll push. Okay?"

"'Kay." He agrees, nodding to himself and panting a bit from the adrenaline rush.

"On Three." Izaya instructs, and he places a hand on each handle without pulling yet. "One. Two! _Three-!"_ He pulls and Izaya pushes at the same time, and thankfully the door finally opens up again. Izaya comes flying forward, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle of limbs. He's panting as well, clearly still unnerved by the idea of being stuck in that building alone.

"...I think I figured it out." Izaya mumbles against his neck, then uses his arms to push and hold himself above Shizuo. "We both have to be pulling, or at least touching, the doors."

Shizuo nods, staring up at Izaya hovering above him. Even in the shade, his pure white clothes gleam in a way that doesn't quite suit him.

 _ **"Very good."**_ They both jerk, Izaya rolling back onto his heels so Shizuo can sit up. They both turn, startled to find a silhouetted figure stepping out of the shadows. **_"Most give up, or take quite awhile to figure it out, surprisingly enough."_**

"What _is_ that thing?" He gasps, and receives no immediate answer.

 **"Think about it, Shizu-chan." Izaya sighs, walking back over to the building. Shizuo pulls up his shorts and follows, not sure he wants to consider the implications of joke. 'Asshole!'**

 **You're right, Shizu-chan. An asshole does have to do with the joke.**

 **He's learning ;)**

 **I updated the soundtrack, as I will with every chapter~**

 **playlist?list=PLu19NGJeb1Jcpxvd_hXHW1inkrcH1M-WT**


	4. Bastard And The Beast

**Ahhh yus queen XD Glad this was finally updated!**

 **As usual, the soundtrack was updated. Here's the link, you can listen while you read~ playlist?list=PLu19NGJeb1Jcpxvd_hXHW1inkrcH1M-WT**

 _ **"I am Fate."**_ It answers, gliding forward. It doesn't have a solid form, funnily enough, and it keeps shifting between a dark gaseous form and a shining liquid being. It has one eye, yellow and blinking rapidly, l glancing in all directions without pause. Four arms stretch out, two on each side, but they don't resemble human arms at all. They twist, with huge knots in the middle for, what, elbows? And the fingers stretch four times as far as a human's do.

"So… you're in charge around here?" Izaya finally asks, glancing at Shizuo. He's completely frozen, eyes wide and breath held. Izaya jabs him a little in the ribs, looking away from the...the-the creature before them.

 ** _"I am Fate."_** Is the only response he gets. Izaya nods, brushing himself off and getting up. He faces it- it being fate, apparently, and lets confidence control his expression. After all, what can it do, kill him? Ha!

"Well, Fate," He crosses his arms, smiling his best smile. "I want you to send us back to earth, alive and well."

"No," Shizuo interrupts quickly. "Just him. I want to stay." He looks up at Izaya, chest heaving slightly, like he's having a hard time breathing. Stupid, they didn't need to breathe anymore. Izaya hasn't in days. "I'm staying," he repeats firmly.

 _ **"It is best if you are both the same age, at the closest mentality. It would not be wise to send one back without the other,"**_ Fate says decisively.

"So send us both back!" Izaya demands, reaching out to cover Shizuo's mouth when he goes to protest. He's punched in the side for his efforts, though of course it doesn't hurt, which is nice. Shizuo stands up, shoving his hand away and shooting him a quick glare.

"Why's it so important we go together," Shizuo asks Fate. The yellow eye snaps towards him, then, landing on the blond and making them both startle a little.

 _ **"You are soulmates."**_ Fate glides forward, making them stumble back a few steps lest it pass right through them. _ **"You should not be separated."**_

"Who decided that?" Izaya demands, offense clear in his tone. "As if I'd ever want anything to do with Shizu-chan!"

"You're the one who demanded I go back with you!" Shizuo stepped forward, and Izaya turned to face him with a glare."You hate me, so just go back and let me have some peace," he snarls.

"No," Izaya snarls right back, a nasty, angry smile curling his lips forcefully; he can't help it. "It looks like we're stuck here, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo lunges forward, grabbing Izaya by the neck and hauling him into the air. He doesn't struggle, just stays relaxed with the nastiest of smiles on his face. Shizuo drops him after a moment, apparently realizing his actions are useless.

"Send him back." Shizuo looks away from him, at Fate, who doesn't reply. Shizuo looks angrier, eyes darting between them like he's just daring someone to argue.

"Shizu-chan," Izaya speaks up, ready to be the one to protest, but Shizuo grabs his arms and actually shakes him t shut him up, the stupid brute.

"I hate you, I hate you _so_ fuckin much! We are NOT soulmates. In fact, I would rather give up paradise and go to Hell just to escape you. You make me sick, with your horrible smirks and little comments- go back to Earth and play with people like they're fuckin toys and let me enjoy my death for a little while!"

Izaya is shoved roughly towards fate, who glances towards him curiously. He's breathing hard, instinctually looking for an outlet rather than any actual need for oxygen-was there even any oxygen here? There were clouds, but no blue sky, just a galaxy fully of long dead stars stretching above them.

There was the sun, and the moon, but they were different. They were much too close, and something about how the weather was always perfect made him wonder if they were simply an illusion. He could look straight at the Sun with no need to squint, and it didn't hurt his vision at all.

 _ **"Have you made a decision?"**_

"Do you live in the management building?" Izaya asks, instead of answering.

 _ **"No. I am Fate, I simply exist. That was just the first test,"**_ they answer emotionlessly.

"So it's empty?" Fate nods, or rather bends itself in some awkward version of a nod. Izaya ignores the bit about tests, as he really doesn't care what that could mean at the moment.

"Great." He heads towards the building, the doors are thankfully still open, and nods at Fate as he goes. "I'm borrowing your bachelor pad then."

"What are you doing," Shizuo barks, following a few steps behind but Izaya ignores him. Turning so he's facing Shizuo, he grabs the door handles and starts to pull them closed. Thankfully, it seems they are not both needed to close the heavy doors.

"You wanted to be alone, right?" He sneers, the blond before him flushing with anger and resentment. "Well, here you go!" He slams the doors shut as hard as he can, locking himself away in darkness.

He walks forward a slight ways, hands out incase there's a wall. He sits down once he's sure there's not way he'll accidentally touch the door. The floor is cool, the darkness is peaceful, and Izaya lets his mask of anger drop and rests his head in hands quietly.

"You think you're _so_ clever," Shizuo growls, voice muffled by the thick walls separating them. "You're trapped in there, you idiot! You can't get out now unless I help you!"

Izaya curls up on the floor, sighing to himself quietly. He's dead. He could, apparently, choose to live again, but he won't do it. Not alone.

"Izaya!" There's pounding on the door, angry and insistent. "Don't think I'll help you, you did this to yourself!"

He sighs and rolls over, back to the door now, and closes his eyes. It's more comfortable than you'd think, refreshingly cool in a summertime environment. He's not worried about being trapped in here, it's not like it matters now, and if he really did want out he knows Shizuo would let him out. But the blond is being ignored, and now he's throwing a tantrum just like a child. Just as predicted.

"Even if you beg me later, I won't let you out! You can rot in there for all I care!" If he really didn't care, he'd shut up walk away. The pounding continues, even as Izaya starts to drift off into sleep. Of all the things he doesn't need now, air, food, masturbation, he still gets tired fairly easily. He'd seen Shizuo sleeping yesterday too, handsome face peaceful for once, and Izaya won't ever admit to sitting and admiring him for who knew how long...

Stupid Shizu-chan.

 **Am I the only one who got beauty and the beast vibes from that last scene? lol**

 **Okay so now Nooses Around Necks has been updated, along with For Pities Sake so the nexr should be Cliché Is The Flavor Of The Day! and then...who knows what's next? Let me know what you thought :)**


	5. Ah, Fuck

_'Dammit!_ ' Shizuo found himself pacing furiously infront of the door to the MANAGEMENT building, growling under his breath. It's been hours since Izaya shut himself in, or it felt that way anyway. There was no way for him to tell, honestly. Fate had left, or disappeared rather. It was gone when Shizuo had turned around, all trace of the strange being nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit!" He yells, whirling around to attempt to pull the door open with a furious series of tugs. Izaya hasn't made a peep the entire time he's been there, and no matter how closely he presses his ear to the wall, he can't pick up breathing noises. "Izaya open the door already!" He shouts.

He opts for banging on the doors again, no longer surprised by the fact that his body doesn't tire. He's starting to realize he doesn't need to breathe, either, which might be why he hasn't picked up anything from Izaya. Still, the strained inhales of anger help, although another thought tells him there's no point in controlling his anger here. He can't hurt anyone, or do any damage, even if he wants to.

And looking up at the damn building hiding Izaya, he really wishes he could.

"Fate," he bites out the name like a curse, and supposes in a way that it is. "Get me a shovel!"

The mysterious being comes up behind him, and extends a shovel with one of its many arms. He snatches it, rude in his anger, and starts digging right where the dirt meets the walls of Izaya's prison. He keeps going for a few minutes, frustrated to find that each shovelful of dirt scooped from land disappears, fresh dirt materializing in the hole.

"Fucking hell!" He slams his fists against the door, and as soon as he does it's being shoved open. He falls back a few steps as Izaya pushes the door open the rest of the way to smirk at him.

"You were so desperate you decided to tunnel under?" He laughs, eyes brighter and happier than they'd been a few hours ago. "What would you have done about the floor? Hmm?"

"The _fuck_ is wrong with you," he hisses angrily, clenching his fists and forcing them to stay by his side. Much as he wants to, he can't hurt Izaya here, and trying would only amuse the vile man further.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're getting at," Izaya says coyly, tilting his head and placing a hand upon his hip for his typical theatrical effect. "I'm perfectly sane."

"I didn't question your sanity, flea. It's obvious you're batshit insane," he steps forward, throwing the shovel aside, "I just want to know why the hell you locked yourself in there, you fuckin lunatic!"

And I," Izaya growls right back, much less composed in the afterlife. Nothing to lose, maybe? "I just want to know why the hell you care?" He parrots right back, stepping forward as well so they're face to face, chest to chest, dick t-uh, foot to foot.

"Because," he pauses here, eyebrows drawing on confusion. Why did he care, exactly?

"You don't have an answer," Izaya laughs cruelly, getting right in his face with no restraint. "You don't know why!"

"No I fuckin don't, okay? What's it matter anyway," He drawls, irritated. Izaya's fingers twitch as he crosses his arms across his chest, scowling at him. Shizuo is sure he'd have a knife embedded somewhere by now, if Izaya had any on him. Then again, who's to say he didn't…?

"You're an idiot," he's informed.

"You're a bastard," he informes right back.

"You care-" Izaya pauses to raise his eyebrows, a look of faux astonishment dawning sarcastically over his expression. He puts his hands up, eyes going wide. "-because we're soulmates!" He gasps, again sarcastically, as if to suggest he was pointing out something obvious that Shizuo should've understood. It was obvious, and he did understand, though.

"I know that, you sarcastic little shit! Four arms over there already told us that!" He gestures to Fate, who looks entirely unoffended and uncaring.

Izaya crosses his arms again and waits, practically tapping his foot as he waits for Shizuo to make some unseen connection. Not that there's anything to connect, of course. They're soulmates apparently, yeah, so what? That didn't mean anything.

Being in this false paradise was making them both a little crazy, he thought. With Izaya being so open with his emotions, so desperate for them to stay near each other be it life or death. Shizuo actually concerned with Izaya's feelings, enough so that he felt the need to do something nice by trying to break into MANAGEMENT to get his life back, the way it drove him crazy that Izaya was locked up in that building, all alone in the dark…

"Oh, _fuck,"_ He groans, dragging a hand down his face roughly. "We're soulmates." He can practically feel Izaya imagining a lightbulb going off above his head, and it pisses him off immensely.

"Now you understand." Izaya's still smirking as he abruptly leans on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Shizuo's neck. "Let's just...test this out," He coos, pressing his lips to Shizuo's. From the corner of his eye, Shizuo doesn't close them, he sees Fate clap it's four hands one eye stops it's rapid movement to watch them intently, waiting for something.

There aren't sparks. His chest tingles, a little, but his stomach drops. As they kiss, staring at each other the entire time, all Shizuo can think about are the things Izaya's done. The lies, the pranks, the anger, the pain, all the times he's been fired or stabbed or mocked by this man with eyes like rust and a smile with the burning intensity of a wildfire. Izaya pulls back, hands slipping from his shoulders, and Shizuo can tell he feels the same way he does.

 _He hates him._

 **"...You are not ready."** Fate glides forward as Izaya steps back, running the back of his hand over his mouth with a disgusted grimace. He's covering up his disappointment; Shizuo knows because he's doing the same, disappointed with the man he could have loved if it weren't for years of bitterness between them.

"No," Izaya agrees. "No, we certainly are not." The two men and third genderless being stand in silence as the sun sets slowly, casting brilliant shadows upon them all. The air is still, the stars so clear in the daylight with the absence of an atmospheric sky, and he tries not to feel absolutely crushed.

A partner, someone you can trust and love and comfort and be comforted by. Your best friend, your lover, your soulmate...and his was Izaya Orihara. If things had been different, if they had another chance, then maybe… but not like this. At least, not anytime soon. He laughs bitterly, knowing they have all of eternity to build a proper relationship, but honestly...he doesn't want to.

 _"Well,"_ Izaya spins on his heel to adress Fate, and with just a glance he can see Izaya's battling with many different emotions, fighting hard to put up any kind of facade in a hell that won't allow it. "What now?" His voice breaks a little, and he whips his head to the side, away from Shizuo. Shizuo doesn't blame him.

 **"You try again,"** comes the answer. **"Until you are ready for your afterlife, together."**

"...Shizu-chan?" Izaya glances at him, eyes dry but not without shadows. He's clearly waiting for Shizuo to agree or disagree, the first and last time he'll ever care about his opinion.

At least, the first and last time in _this_ life.

"Fine. Just, give me a few," he sighs.

 **"How much time would you like?"**

"An hour?"

 **"Very well."** Fate glides off, and Shizuo doesn't look at Izaya as he goes to sit on the hill, alone.

* * *

It's apparently already been an hour, though it doesn't feel like it. Izaya is standing behind him, arms folded behind his back and a smile gracing his features. Fate is waiting to send them back to Earth. He stands with a sigh, letting go of the Dandelions in his hand and watching them fall to the ground without a sound.

"Alright," He and Izaya head to the tree where Fate awaits them with the same lack of emotion it's always possessed. "How're we gonna do this? You gonna let us wake up in the hospital or…?"

 **"No."** The wind, the same wind he has no explanation for, picks up and rustles the grass and their clothes and hair. **"You will be starting new lives."**

"Aww," Izaya whines, sticking his bottom lip out like a child. "So much hard work, all for nothing! Didn't you say we could go back to our old lives?"

 **"Too much time has passed. Your bodies have been in the ground and rotting for decades, on Earth."**

"It's only been a few days," Shizuo protests, frowning.

 **"There it very little impression of time here,"** Fate says calmly. **"It would be maddening if there were."**

"Can I request to keep my beautiful face?" Izaya requests playfully. "And Shizuo's, too. I quite like that beastly scowl."

 **"Things must change."**

"Yeah, yeah, okay some things can change, but can't I just keep my face?" He whines again, and Fate seems to pause and consider this. Finally, with a nod, it seems to agree.

 **"Very well."** Its arms straighten out, two pointed at Izaya and two pointed at Shizuo. He starts to feel scared, at his very core, when he considers starting from scratch.

"You never told us," he chokes, body starting to tingle and warp painlessly. "Why am I in heavy black and he in free white?" He's referring, of course, to his pants and long sleeved shirt and Izaya's shorts and tank top. "Shouldn't it...shouldn't it be the reverse?" Izaya laughs shakily to his left, and Shizuo closes his eyes tightly as he becomes overwhelmed by the buzzing zipping through his entire body.

 **"The clothes here take on the feelings of the wearer, and their actions before eternity."** Ah, that's so fuckin nice. Because Shizuo killed Izaya, and was feeling awful about his life in general, he's in these clothes. He kind of wants to hit the other man for apparently feelings so pure and free, in his stupid detergent commercial white clothes. They were probably sponsered by Tide too, the fucker. There's a gasp, high pitched and disbelieving, that beckons him to open his eyes.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Where Izaya once stood there's a woman, with shoulder length black hair and mischievous red eyes. Redder than Izaya's, and brighter, too.

"Oh, you shitty little pest!" Shizuo exclaims, trying to ignore the new pitch of his own voice. And the fact that his chest feels heavier, crotch lighter, and shorter all around. "You just had to ask to keep our faces!"

"I didn't think these-" Izaya gestures at his, or rather, her new chest accessories, "-would be the changes, okay!?" Izaya exclaims, voice a mix of astonishment and angered disbelief.

 _"Fuck_ you," Shizuo gasps, for lack of anything else to say.

"Would you rather we stay here?" Izaya demands, and Shizuo laughs over uncomfortable feelings of his insides rearranging themselves and transforming to that of a woman's.

"I'd rather live than be with you," she jokes, biting her lip at Izaya's laugh. It's lighter, prettier than the male versions. _'Oh god I'm going to be a raging lesbian. And with my temper, I mean that literally!'_

"Do we at least get to pick our names?" Izaya asks curiously.

 **"Yes, and no. I decide your last names and the people to whom you're born. You decide your first names."** Fate is starting to look larger- actually, everything looks larger. Or is Shizuo...getting smaller?

"Kanra!" Izaya exclaims happily, voice just a touch higher, and Shizuo realizes she has a younger appearance than before.

 **"Very well. I give you the last name Himoto, meaning Crimson Origin."**

"Oh well that's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Izaya sighs.

 **"And you?"** Fate turns to her expectedly.

"Er...what the hell, Shizuka," Shizuo sighs, uncaring.

 **"...alright. Then I give you the last name Shimoto, meaning Pure Origin."**

"Again, a little on the nose," Izaya points out, and goes ignored. She's a child now, and regressing faster than before. Shizuo, or rather, Shizuka realizes her vision is starting to flicker in and out. The world tilts as she grows smaller, and she takes a few moments to attempt remembering what brought her.

Ah, that's right it was Izaya. Up to no good as usual, wasn't he? There was a device...Shizuo was hunting him down. He was planning something, right? Everyone was so scared… he chased him into the building, and it crumbled under his strength.

Down down down it fell, fell like she is now, falling screaming in a hospital blanket, covered in fluid and regret. The imagine of the afterlife is fading rapidly, all coherency sucked away like Fate itself is leeching it off of her. She won't remember her life before, and who's to say there weren't more before? She's completely and utterly unprepared for all the things that await her now.

Somewhere in Ikebukuro, in a lone woman's labor room a baby is born, and it's very first thought, the very first thing it thinks before it loses the ability is...

 _'Ah, fuck.'_

 **Heeeyyy! So, you might be a little bit worried about this BUT DON'T WORRY! It's not over yet! The next part is a different story of mine, already started, called Cliché Is The Flavor Of The Day ;)**


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